The Wrath of Ragnarok: A Final Fantasy Tale
by ChinaWolf95
Summary: When the king of Regno Cal suddenly becomes possessed by a mysterious entity, Rhyon, one of the kingdom's most esteemed soldiers, is only concerned with ensuring Princess Jewel's safety. However, what begins as a simple journey to temporarily get the princess away from the castle turns into an epic adventure that one no could have anticipated.
1. Chapter 1

1

The princess stood by feeling hopeless as she watched her father thrust about uncontrollably in his chair. His eyes were rolled so far into his skull that his blue irises were barely visible; a seemingly impossible amount of sweat rolled down from his head. The princess let out a small whimper of hopelessness.

"He was perfectly fine almost a minute ago," the princess exclaimed. "Rhyon, what the hell is going on here!?"

The princess turned to look at a man standing next to her who, judging by the way he was clad, was a high-ranking individual in the military. He had short golden-brown hair and looked at the princess with warm brown eyes that were full of concern. He promptly placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so that they were facing each other.

"Jewel, everything is going to be okay," Rhyon said in a smoothing voice. "We will figure this out".

Just as this was said, the king let out a loud, throaty cough which nearly threw him out of his chair. Rhyon was immediately by the king's side to help him back onto the chair but the coughing did not stop there. With every passing second the coughs became more frequent and were let out with more force. It wasn't long before the king's face was a very dangerous shade of red.

"Why has no one come to help us already!?" Jewel wondered.

"I am going to go get some help," Rhyon said racing toward the door. Just as Rhyon's hand touched the doorknob however, the king's coughing and thrusting stopped at once.

"Wait!" Jewel shouted back to Rhyon. "I think he may be okay now. He is trying to say something. Do not worry about getting help".

Rhyon kept his hand on the doorknob but looked back at Jewel. "Jewel, would it not be better to get someone else just in case of-"

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Ry, you do not have to be so precautious all the time. Now, please get over here."

Rhyon mumbled, "Please do not call me Ry," before reluctantly walking back to where Jewel and her father stood. Halfway on his way to her, he looked back at the door and began to turn slightly toward it. However, he decided against it and continued on his way.

The look of concern that was once on Jewel's face was replaced with a look of irritation. Her hands were on her hips and her heels tapped impatiently on the floor underneath her. She sucked in some air between her teeth. "I know I heard him say something just a second ago."

Despite what Jewel said, the room remained silent and the king remained unnervingly still. If it wasn't for the reassuring movement of his chest, one would have thought that the king was lying in his chair dead. All the while, Jewel stayed in her position, confident that the king would begin speaking very soon. Meanwhile, Rhyon's feelings of uneasiness grew strong as he turned his eyes toward the door several times.

It was just before Rhyon was going to ask Jewel if she had mistaken hearing something that the king finally made some indication that he did indeed have something to say. Jewel became very alert when a small "heh" escaped the king's lips.

"Did you hear that?" Jewel asked Rhyon in amazement. Rhyon was unable to respond verbally so he nodded his head weakly. His mouth was pressed into a thin line; it was difficult to tell what he thinking at the moment.

"Heheheh". The king's head was lowered but it was becoming easier to hear what he was saying. Jewel put her hands on her father's shoulders asking, "Yes, what is it?"

"Heheheheheh," the king responded.

Jewel shook her head. "I do not understand what you are trying to say."

The king kept up with his strange noises as he gradually got louder and spoke more frequently. Soon, it became quite evident that the king was laughing- at first softly, then wholeheartedly, and at last, hysterically. Jewel insisted on keeping her hands on her fathers trembling shoulders.

"What is so funny? Tell me what is happening!"

When the king continued to laugh with complete disregard for what his daughter was saying, Rhyon knew something was wrong. Jewel, however, did not pay attention to the signs that should have been becoming clear to her. Either way, the events that took place next were something that neither Jewel nor Ryhon could have seen coming.

The king looked straight at his daughter, eyes wide with an unidentifiable emotion, yet the color seemed to be drained from them. His head was titled over ever so slightly and a devious grin was plastered on his face. In one swift movement, he rose from his cushioned chair, and grabbed hold of his daughter's left hand tight enough for some of the color to drain from it. Jewel was finally realizing that something was not right.

"Who ARE you?!" Jewel screamed while trying to break free from her father's grasp. This only made him hold on to her even tighter, causing Jewel to yelp in pain.

"Shut up you annoying brat," the king said through clutched teeth. He lifted Jewel from the floor effortlessly and hung her in the air dangling from just one arm. She kicked her legs around frantically while screaming madly. This did nothing but anger her father more, causing him to wrap his hands around her throat.

He laughed once more. "I bet this will get you to shut up!"

Meanwhile, Ryhon was already at the door. He decided that he would go and get help although Jewel had tried to convince him otherwise. She would surely want extra help now that she was in a dire situation, right? Ryhon was surprised when the door would not budge even after putting much of his strength into opening it which confused him. One could tell just by looking at him that he was a very physically fit man and even if the door was jammed, he should have been able to open it eventually. But even after he proceeded to remove his sword from its scabbard and use it to pry open the door, his efforts were futile.

Ryhon mumbled to himself, "Why will this door not open? I am certain none of us have locked the door when we entered the room."

"Ha, it's no use. The door is locked by magic". It was the king speaking, still holding Jewel's neck between his hands.

Ryhon shook his head in confusion. "The king is not able to use magic…."

"Aw, that fool you call king can not do much of anything. But I can! Now, I don't think that you'll want to call for help. You see, there is only one simple thing I need this king to do for me. It is so simple that his subjects will be unaware that any of this has happened. Now, we wouldn't want to worry the innocent citizens about this little incident, would we? I will let this noisy girl go along with sparing your life if you keep quiet about this. What do you say?" The king let out a small grin.

"Open the door," Ryhon said sternly.

The king's brows frowned a bit. "Oh, what an unfortunate choose you have made! I can not, of course, let you get away with revealing this secret quite yet."

The king threw Jewel at Ryhon. She slid across the crystal-like floor where Ryhon kneeled next to her as she coughed and regained her color. The king looked at her with disgust.

"What a stupid, meddling girl! But it doesn't matter. Since I know neither of you will keep quiet about this, you can die together!"

With a snap of a finger, the doors that were so difficult to open just a minute ago opened effortlessly. Outside the open gold doors, Ryhon and Jewel could see the reason why no one seemed to make an effort to come to their rescue earlier. Standing outside the door were two men, looking as if they were simply walking by before being turned into two life-sized action figures. Jewel had to rub her eyes to ensure that she wasn't really looking at two statues made by an extremely talented sculptor. She gasped softly.

"I know you may not have fully recuperated yet," Ryhon whispered to Jewel, "but we need to get away from the castle for the time being."

"Are you crazy?" Jewel whispered back loudly. "You will have to leave me here. They may not hurt the princess but they would definitely not let you get away alive if they knew you were trying to escape the castle with me. And no one would believe us if we told them what happened because that imposter who they think is my father would tell them otherwise."

Ryhon smoothed Jewels hair down. "It is not safe here. My duty is to ensure that you are safe. Nothing else is more important than that."

Deafening clapping could be heard behind the two. The king said with a mocking smile, "Oh, how sweet! You two are creating a little mood over there, are you not? Behold! It will be impossible for you to make it out alive. Die!"

With that, the king snapped his fingers once again. This time, the men outside of the door began to move. The king was bent over in his chair, looking like he was in severe pain. Under his breath he whispered, "This body is already exhausted after casting only a few spells," which no one else was able to hear. The two men ran to the king's aid readily as if they were not frozen just a second ago. The men asked the king what was wrong. He promptly pointed to Ryhon.

"That man…. He's trying to run away with my daughter. Don't let him get away!"

The two men stared at each other in confusion. Ryhon was their superior and was known for his extreme loyalty to the king. The king and Ryhon were close like a father and son would be. However, the guards knew they could not disobey the king's orders and once they saw that Ryhon grabbed Jewel and began to run away, they were convinced enough to beginning chasing after them. The king could be heard laughing hysterically one more time before he finally collapsed out of his chair from exhaustion, landing flat on his face.

Ryhon and Jewel already had a head start out of the living room but the two men were catching up fast. It was evident that Jewel was slowing the two down. Ryhon looked behind them and knew that a collision was inevitable. He also knew the only way they would be able to leave the castle would be to fight their way through. Ryhon patted his scabbard and looked over at Jewel.

"We will have to fight if we want any chance of getting out of here safely," Ryhon informed Jewel. "Just stay close to me, and I will do the fighting."

The moment soon came when Ryhon and Jewel were face-to-face with the two men. "Ry, do not underestimate me just because I am the king's daughter. Watch this. FIRE!"

One of the men was hit by a lick of magical fire. Jewel smiled at her accomplishment. "I also know Ice and Esuna. And if I run out of magical energy," Jewel removed her heels, "then I can use these babies."

It was clear that Ryhon did not completely agree with the thought of having Jewel fight but he knew she would persist until she got her way. Besides, there was not much time to discuss it and Ryhon knew that whatever the princess said was final. They got into battle stance and were able to defeat the men with ease. The two gave each other a high-five but they knew there was no time to be celebrating – they still had to navigate their way out of the huge castle.

Rhyon and Jewel ran down the long hallways which was proving to be difficult. They both were pretty familiar with the layout of the castle but under so much pressure, they barely knew which way to run next. Because of their panic, they did not notice that a group of guards were sneaking toward them from a turn they recently ran pass. One of the men swung his sword at the two with a great amount of force. Luckily, Rhyon was able to dodge the attack and also get Jewel out of the way.

"Very sneaky," Jewel said catching her breath. "I didn't see them coming at all."

Rhyon nodded. "This is what we call a back attack. The enemy waits for you to be caught off guard and uses that opportunity to attack you from behind. It is an ideal time to hurt you for more damage than if they were aware of being attacked. We were lucky not to get hit this time."

"Well let's finish what was started," Jewel exclaimed, getting into battle stance.

After the two defeated the group of men, they push onward, this time being more aware of their surroundings. At one point, Jewel saw that there were two men standing idly within their path. They were paying the two no mind!

"Look, Ry. Those two don't even see us coming." Jewel motioned her head toward the two men.

Ryhon nodded. "Yes, I see. We have a chance at a preemptive attack."

"A what?"

"A preemptive attack. We can attack them while they are not aware of us and hurt them about twice as much compared to if they were aware of our presence."

The two cleverly maneuvered over to the men and each was able to strike down a man in one hit. Jewel was evidently amazed at the feat but Rhyon urged her to keep going.

The two kept running until they got to the front of the castle. As expected, the front door was heavily guarded and a large group of men were entering the castle. Ryhon and Jewel checked out their situation from afar.

"They must be coming back from training," Rhyon mumbled to himself. "That means the bridge is drawn – but not for long."

"So what do we do?" Jewel asked with a worried expression. "I mean, you are strong, but there is no way we will be able take on that many."

"We run as fast as we can."

Jewel's eyebrows went up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We run as fast as we can and try to get lost in the crowd. The bridge cannot be drawn at the time with so many crossing it. We use this opportunity to cross the bridge. However, they will be able to clear it quickly so it is best we try to move as swiftly as we can."

"Sounds risky," Jewel said. "I am surprised the ever-cautious Rhyon would think of something like that."

Rhyon smiled at Jewel and grabbed her arm as he headed toward the crowd ducked down with Jewel barely able to keep up. Jewel smiled back as she felt a strong surge of adrenaline flow through her. What she didn't see was that Rhyon's smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He could not stand putting the princess in this type of danger but he felt as though he was running out of time to think.

It only took a few seconds for the crowd to notice that Rhyon and Jewel were among them. The once orderly line became a confusion of bodies and screams. _Good,_ Rhyon thought to himself. _If they all scatter in confusion, we may have a chance._ The two were able to reach the bridge despite being hit and pushed several times (sometimes intentional and others not). Rhyon knew they were running out of time when he heard orders being shouted. Some were running toward the castle while others were running toward the other side. Either way, the bridge was being cleared while Jewel and Rhyon were just making there was across with much difficulty from the aggressive crowd. Rhyon began to wonder what would happen to them. If they made it across, they were doomed. If they turned back, they were doomed. If the bridge were drawn, they would mostly likely stumble back and fall into the hands on those waiting at the entrance. There was nothing else that could be done. _It is best to keep fighting until the end_ , Rhyon told himself.


	2. Chapter 2

2

The bridge that the two had to cross was not very long. However, a walk that should only take a few seconds turned into one that would take much longer as they were being pushed and pulled in the opposite direction of where they were trying to walk. Even so, it did not take long for the soldiers to situate themselves on the side of the bridge that they were directed to stand. After this, all became silent. There was no longer anyone holding Jewel and Rhyon back. They were free to move; but which side should they take? Rhyon and Jewel stood to take in their situation for a few second before silently agreeing on what they would do next. They both nodded once at each other.

The two started to make a dash away from the castle, running to the arms of those waiting for them hungrily on the other side of the bridge. To his surprise, Rhyon was only able to take one step before he was pinned down by a solider and dragged back toward the castle. Jewel was unable to see what happened until she was already across the bridge and was pinned down by several soldiers.

"We have the princess," one of the soldiers shouted. "Raise the bridge!"

Both Rhyon's and Jewel's eye went wide. Now what could they do? Thinking quick, Rhyon managed to move his right elbow just enough to jam it into the soldier holding him down. It was not the most powerful blow but seemed to have done the trick. The soldier quickly bent over in pain and tried to catch the breath he had just lost. Meanwhile, Rhyon had the perfect opportunity to make it to the other side. He mumbled a quick sorry to the soldier and focused on getting to the other side.

No one stopped Rhyon. Although the distance was short, he moved his legs at an impressively fast speed. The bridge barely moved as he ran across. He did not encounter any problems until he was about two steps away from his destination. By then, the bridge was tilted enough to cause him to lose a bit of his footing. He slid back a little but he was able to catch himself fast enough to grab the side of the bridge. Soon he would either fall into the hands of those waiting greedily for him or he would fall into the indefinitely deep moat.

All these events were happening in a matter of seconds and the soldiers stood by watching the action that was unfolding before them in excitement and suspense. Rhyon had to ignore their eager response to the situation. With little time to think, Rhyon knew what he wanted to do. In one swift move, Rhyon hopped to the edge of the bridge, and sprang himself off toward where Jewel was standing. Only a second later, the bridge was completely raised. Jewel gasped.

Rhyon landed on the other side of the bridge face front with a loud thump. Most of the soldiers were able to move out the way in time but were surrounding him. Rhyon was at a disadvantage since he was still stunned a bit from the fall but he wasted little time to pull himself up from the ground. Rhyon was a trained soldier which allowed him to swiftly recover. Unfortunately, the others soldiers were also trained and took little time to come at him. Rhyon's sword was out in an instance. He succeeded in stunning a few soldiers around him but he was only one man and soon became overwhelmed. Before long, it was obvious he was hopeless. Some soldiers were even resorting to jumping on top of him.

"Rhyon!" Jewel cried. She struggled viciously against the soldiers holding her back. She clawed at the arm of one her captors who only responded by laughing at her. The soldier shook their head and grinned deviously at Jewel. "Nice try, sweetheart." _Sweetheart!?,_ Jewel thought to herself. Hearing those words set her blood boiling in frustration. Her face turned red. _Let us see if THIS is a "nice try"._ With that, Jewel dug her teeth into her captor with all the strength she could muster up. This might not have been the most powerful defense around but it did the trick in stunning the soldier. The soldier yelped out in pain and released Jewel reflexively. A small smile formed on her face. _Try calling me sweetheart again,_ she thought to herself.

Jewel was free to run toward Rhyon only for a short moment before she was caught a second time. This time she was held down by several more soldiers and was scarcely able to struggle. She could only standby and watch Rhyon become engulfed in a sea of soldiers. It was only until she noticed what they were planning to do to Rhyon that she started to protest wildly once again. A flood of arms began to grab Rhyon. Some clung onto his arms, some at his legs, and others at his abdominal. There were even hands that were grabbing his neck and hair. Jewel screamed as they began to pick him up from the ground. They chuckled to themselves as they marched toward the moat. Its still waters awaited the arrival of a new victim to swallow.

Jewel shouted. "You can not let this happen! Rhyon is an essential part of this kingdom's military yet you throw him away without a second thought? Nonsense!"

No one was listening to what Jewel was saying. The only thing she could do was try struggling more. For only a fraction of a second, the two were able to make eye contact. Rhyon smiled at Jewel, as if to tell her, _"You will be fine without me"._ Jewel was not able to accept this message so clearly. She didn't want to hear that from him just yet. She wanted to be able to escape the castle with him. However, even an outside observer could see that nothing could be done by either of the two. The soldiers were almost ready to dispose of Rhyon's body. Jewel could barely fight back tears.

"Okay, on the count of three we throw him," one of the soldiers exclaimed to the others. "Ready? One, two-"

"I apologize but I cannot allow that to happen today." Everyone there stopped what they were doing and turned their heads toward the mysterious voice. Emerging from the woods not too far from the castle was a person dressed in a brown bodysuit and brown shoes that blended in with their outfit. Along with that, the person wore a brown mask with a small slit for the eyes and mouth along with an opening for a short ponytail in the middle of their head.

The soldiers stopped what they were doing for a second. At first they all looked at each other, puzzled. Jewel held her breath. But then, at once, they all started to laugh.

"This must be a joke," a soldier said. "Back to work. Ready? One, two-"

Right before the "three" could escape the soldier's lips he fell to the ground, unable to move. Several of the other soldiers holding Rhyon up faced the same fate. Gasps could be heard from all directions.

"What the hell just happened?!" someone shouted.

The mysteriously clad person stood near the fallen soldiers although no one remembered seeing them moved over to the area. The person wiped some dust off their hands before offering their hand to Rhyon who was now thrown to the ground without enough soldiers to hold him up. Rhyon looked at the mysterious person with a distrustful glare. In response, the person let a small grin cross their face. Their eyes were mischievous. They seemed to hold many secrets.

Meanwhile, the soldiers didn't spend much time trying to speculate what was happening. They had a duty to perform and they knew it. With a whistle of a finger, all the soldiers that were not holding down Jewel or immobilized on the ground came rushing toward Rhyon and the mysterious person.

"Ry, watch out!" Jewel screamed. Rhyon was trying to look for a way out but couldn't find one. He would either end up in the moat or head into the crowd of soldiers who would surely see an end to him. Then there was the hand in front of him; the hand of an untrustworthy person that was unfazed by the soldiers charging at them.

"Come on," the mask person said to Rhyon, holding their hand closer. Rhyon looked suspicious but grabbed the hand. He was helped to his feet before the person disappeared from his view. What just happened was pointless to Rhyon. The soldiers were already coming at him. It really was the end for him. He closed his eyes in defeat as a sword was swung in his direction.

Rhyon waited for the sure feeling of metal piercing his skin. He waited for the sharp pain, but it did not come. He opened his eyes in confusion to see the person that was at first holding the sword up to him was on the ground barely able to move. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. All around him were strange people dressed similarly to the first masked person they saw that day. They materialized from the woods not far from the castle. They fell from the trees, bent out of the shadows, and moved from their spots beside tree trucks. The colors they wore made it appear as though they were part of the woods. Each one silently weaved through the soldiers, immobilizing them with only a swipe of their hands. Rhyon was speechless.

Jewel saw this spectacular event as well. She watched all the action go on until she felt the soldiers holding her suddenly release their grips. When she turned around, she could see no trace of who knocked the two out. The only evidence was the soldiers lying helplessly on the ground. Jewel sighed a little and turned back around. She jumped when she saw the ponytailed-masked person standing in front of her. Jewel immediately wondered who this person could be and why they would come to their rescue. She looked them up and down. It was not clear whether she was looking at a male or female.

"Princess," the person said in a husky voice. The voice sounded like one that could belong to a male or a female. "We will only be able to hold them back a little longer. Escape through the woods while you can".

Jewel looked again at the scene that was in front of her. The masked person was right.

Although soldiers were falling left and right, there were many left standing and fighting.

"Who _ARE_ you?" Jewel asked the person. They chuckled to themselves and responded, "That is not important. Our mission is to ensure you are safe." With that, the person bowed to Jewel and disappeared from sight. Jewel blanked her eyes a few times and felt even more confused than last time. She stood there despite knowing that she should get moving. A heavy hand landed on her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance.

"We have to keep moving." Jewel looked up and saw that it was Rhyon who appeared next to her. She hugged him tightly.

"What a relief," she said, burying her face into him.

He grabbed her hand and started to lead them toward the woods. "Yes, but we must leave."

A male soldier momentarily blocked their way from the woods. He smiled with a half triumphant, half crazed look. Just as swiftly as he appeared, he was knocked to the ground by a person dressed in a leafy green suit. The person gave them a thumb up. Jewel mouthed "thank you" as they continued their venture into the woods.

They made their way deeper into the woods, jumping over fallen branches and dodging low branches. Jewel looked terrified but also thrilled at the same time. She huffed and puffed with sweat beginning to pour down her face; her brows were frowned but there was an evident smiled plastered on her face. Beside her, Rhyon looked much more composed (and less thrilled). He was instead concentrating on getting away fast enough. After some time, Jewel began to run out of breath.

"I think we are safe now," Jewel said between breaths.

Rhyon responded, "It is possible that we are being followed silently. There may also be a larger wave of soldiers heading our way. It would be best if we found shelter."

Both proceeded to look around for some place they could take shelter. All that stood around them were trees, leaves, and rocks. Actually, there was a large rock that caught both of their attention. They moved it over together to see that it covered a hole. The hole was not terribly big but was big enough for a person to drop down into it. Rhyon threw a smaller rock down the hole. It did not go a far way before they heard it plop in shallow water. They both tried looking down but it was completely dark.

Rhyon scratched his chin. "We will have to find shelter elsewhere. Jewel?"

Jewel was bent over in a corner, seeming to be fiddling with something. _"She must be fixing her dress,"_ Rhyon thought to himself. He left Jewel alone as he surveyed the area to decide which way would be best for them to go. He was close enough however to run back to Jewel's side when she let out a loud, "Ah-ha!"

Rhyon didn't even have to ask what she was referring to. Inside her hand she held a flame torch that she must have made using some things in the woods. She held it closer to Rhyon and smiled at her achievement. Rhyon reached out to snatch the contraption from her but decided against it. Instead he asked, "Please forgive me if I sound rude but what are you planning to use that for?"

"For this," Jewel said, running toward the direction of the hole. She ran until she gained enough momentum to jump in the hole. She reached the bottom with a soft splat. The torch nearly fell out of her hand but she was otherwise unharmed.

Rhyon immediately reached his left arm over the hole. "Grab my arm!" he exclaimed. "I will help you up."

Jewel wasn't paying attention. With a quick wave of her hand, she casted the Fire spell over the torch to light it. She walked through the water until she found there was a ledge wide enough for her to walk on. Her dress and dragged on the ground, making it hard for her to step forward. Without hesitation, she ripped the bottom part of her dress and threw it into the water.

"I believe this may be part of a sewer system," Jewel screamed to Rhyon. "I will go on ahead."

"Wait, Jewel, I do not-". Rhyon stopped what he was saying. "She is the princess. I must not go against her will."

He could already hear her fading footsteps. It was his job to follow. He took one more look around the area to ensure his safety. He then jumped in the hole with a sigh and ran after Jewel.

Once the two were out of view, the silhouette of a person dropped in. The person started to move in the opposite direction of the two but noticed the ripped dress Jewel left behind. They picked up the cloth and clenched it tightly in their gloved hand.


	3. Chapter 3

3

About ten minutes had passed since Rhyon and Jewel jumped down into the mysterious hole. However, silence engulfed both of them. The only communication that went on was silent; an occasional finger point or grunt was their only means of communication. Jewel lead the way while Rhyon followed close behind, battling any creatures that happened to come across their path. After these ten minutes, Jewel thought it was about time that she broke the silence.

"I am relived that we were able to escape safely," Jewel said while still walking. "We were lucky the soldiers did not have guns with them, am I right?"

Jewel turned to face Rhyon. She immediately realized that she must have said the wrong thing. He was frozen in place, and his eyes were glazed over. Jewel backed up from him a little. A few moments later, Rhyon looked down at the coat he was wearing. It was decorated with pins and badges that represented his military accomplishments. He grabbed them in his hand as if he were ready to tear off.

"I should not have gotten away," Rhyon said under his breath.

Jewel tilted her head. "Huh?"

This time Rhyon raised his head so that he was looking directly at Jewel. She couldn't help but be taken aback at how serious Rhyon's face was at the moment. She could not remember Rhyon ever looking at her with such a serious face.

"Guns or not, I should not have been able to escape with you. If a soldier attempted to escape with you I would ensure that he would not get away, despite any reason he may give. My duty is to protect you yet I have put you in deeper danger. If I were truly loyal to you and the kingdom, I would have surrendered my life and left you in the safety of the soldiers."

Jewel's mouth hung open slightly in disbelief. "What are you talking about," she screamed at him. "You escaped with me BECAUSE of your loyalty. You only did it to-"

"Behind you!" Rhyon shouted, pulling out his sword in one swift movement. Jewel screeched when she finally saw what was standing behind her – a rat that towered at least 8 feet stood on it hind legs. Its teeth were a rotten color and its fur was matted in a fearsome way. As for its tail, half of it appeared to be missing although this evidently did not stop the creature at all.

Rhyon pushed Jewel behind him and then rushed over to the rat creature with his sword pointed in front of him. He was able to stab the rat in the lower part of its stomach. In response, the creature let out a deafening shrill and stumped one of its feet, making Rhyon lose his balance from the resulting vibrations. This, however, did not stop him. With a determined look, Rhyon moved to the other side of the frightening foe and stabbed his back with a sure and steady hand. Almost instantly after, it hit Rhyon with its half-together tail. This was enough to knock down Rhyon softly.

"Ry!" Jewel screamed, beginning to run over to him. Rhyon shook his head and Jewel soon stopped.

"I will handle this situation on my own," he said to her. As he stood up, the rat turned around to face him and for a brief moment they both stared each other in the eye. With that, Rhyon aimed the sword toward its face without missing his target. This did close to nothing to his opponent. He was lucky to block a potential attack in which he otherwise would have gotten a tremendous chuck on his shoulder bitten off. Rhyon wiped a single drop of sweat from his head but did not look ready to quit anytime soon.

From then on, Jewel watched from the side as Rhyon and the rat went head-to-head. It was not clear who would win the battle in the end. Attacks were being lunged from both sides. Rhyon was thrown around a few times while the rat was taking at least a small amount of damage. Jewel looked more and more worried as she continued to watch the battle. "I cannot just sit here," she said to herself. "I know he told me not to interfere but-"

Jewel ran over next to Rhyon and got into battle stance. Rhyon looked at her in puzzlement but she responded by giving him a friendly wink.

"Jewel, you do not need to worry," Rhyon said.

Jewel shook her head. "We are in this together now. Besides, this battle is going too slow at this pace. I have my elemental magic, remember?"

Jewel pushed out her arms while shouting, "FIRE!" which caused the rat to be briefly engulfed in flames. When Jewel heard the desperate sound it made, she knew some real damage was finally made. Not stopping there, she pushed her arms out in front of her again while shouting, "ICE!" The sudden coldness right after being burned made the damage that the Ice spell caused even more humongous. Rhyon gave her a thumb up for thinking of such a clever idea. Using a combination of Jewel's elemental attacks and Rhyon's physical attacks, the giant rat finally fell, too weak to fight.

"Whew," Jewel sighed heavily. "That was a bit harder to fight than the other enemies we encountered down here."

"Yes," Rhyon began, "we may occasionally encounter enemies that require more skill to fight than other enemies in the area. During those times, it is best think of a crafty strategy. We were lucky that rat was affected by both the Ice and Fire spell. Other enemies may not be affected in the same way."

Rhyon sulked away, possibly planning to continue that cycle of silent walking that took place not too long ago. Jewel blocked his way before he could get far.

"You are not behaving like you usually do!" Jewel exclaimed. "The Rhyon I know does not allow himself to walk around with such a pitiful look on his face. You escaped from the castle with me because you knew it was not safe. Whoever was controlling my father could have easily made the others in the castle believe he was not an imposter, leaving me vulnerable to being hurt again."

Rhyon stopped walking and turned to face Jewel. He did not say anything but Jewel kept talking. "You may have thought you made the wrong decision and I cannot tell you if any other course of action would have been appropriate in our situation. Still, there is often no right or wrong answer. What you did, you did out of honor."

Jewel looked at Rhyon, her blue eyes sparkling with a passion to get through to Rhyon. Rhyon at first stared at nothing in particular with a blank expression but soon the usual warmness returned to his eyes. He nodded before saying, "Yes, you are correct. This is not the time for me to regret my actions. We will return to the castle when the time is right. For now, we should find a way out of here".

Both Rhyon's and Jewel's eyes turned toward a ladder that was barely close enough for the two to see. They were too busy before fighting the rat foe to notice it before. It was also clear that a faint stream of light was shinning from the area above the ladder. With unspoken agreement, they started to walk toward the ladder, fighting smaller foes that crossed their path. When they finally reached the ladder, the two looked up. Above the ladder was a half-opened manhole cover. Rhyon quickly took a peek at where the opening would lead them.

"What did you see," Jewel asked Rhyon as he climbed back down the ladder.

"We are currently underneath the street of a town," Rhyon responded. "Judging by the direction and distance we have traveled, I am certain we are under Birum, a town located on the outskirts of Regis Terram."

"Excellent! We can find an inn to sleep in and try to figure out what to do from there." Jewel started to climb the ladder but was stopped by Rhyon's voice before she could go all the way.

"That may not be the best idea," he told her. "I am certain that news of our escape has already reached this town. Citizens and soldiers stationed in this town will surely notice us. Unless there is a possible way disguise ourselves or travel undetected, we will eventually get caught."

Jewel's face deflated as she realized what Rhyon said was true. She climbed down from the ladder, folded her arms, and began to pace with a look of hard concentration on her face. This went on for a few minutes before Jewel came to a sudden halt.

"A-ha!" She nearly shouted. "I can tell from looking up that it is getting dark outside. This dress will make me too obvious but you could sneak around town without being seen and find us something to wear that no one would recognize us in. The plan is risky however, I believe it may work."

Rhyon's face showed that he did not think her sudden plan was as great as she thought it was. He also knew that from the mischievous glow in her eye, the whole scheme was playing out in her head as a fun, ninja-like adventure. He tried to find the right words to say.

He began, "Jewel, such a solution may not be so simple. With the town on the lookout, sneaking around may still result in my capturing. It is also improbable I will be able to find a disguise adequate enough without being caught, let alone-"

"Oh, stop worrying," Jewel said, giving his back a soft push. "You can pull it off."

Rhyon still looked troubled about the whole thing. He tried once to open his mouth but failed. He tried once more but was still unable to protest. Finally, he sighed and made his way off to the ladder. "Well then, off I go". He only made it halfway up the ladder before stopping as if he remembered something.

"Do not worry," Jewel said. "I will wait right here for your return." She sat next to the ladder, making herself comfortable. It must have been what Rhyon was thinking because he looked at her, his lips pressed into a thin, anxious line. It wasn't long before he ignored the terrible feeling he was having and finally made it outside.

Rhyon inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air of the town around him. He found himself in the middle of an empty street. Looking up at the sky, he could see that night was approaching soon. The sky was painted with orange and pink hues along with the bright setting sun. A few houses already had their lights on, anticipating the darkness that would soon come. Even from standing in the middle of an empty street, one could tell that the town of Birum was a small one. The streets were clean and smooth with sidewalks of various-sized stones. Rhyon looked at the town with a tranquil glimmer in his eye. However he shook his head quickly after, remembering he had no time to be relaxing.

Carefully, Rhyon made his way to a building nearby. He pressed his back against the building and eased his way over to the edge. He peeked around the corner. From here, he could see that the street he was looking at was a little livelier than the street he presently was on. A few people were holding shopping bags and talking idly. Shops were lit brightly and there was even a shop that had timid young man standing in front, trying to attract customers.

Rhyon frowned a bit. "How do I go about this...?" Rhyon mumbled to himself. He scratched his chin and turned around slowly as he continued to think of a plan in peace. Or so he thought.

Rhyon was clearly startled when he turned around. He began to let out an involuntary yelp but was able to stop himself before it was able to fully escape his lips. Standing in front of him was a hunched over man wearing a black, hooded robe. All his features were not visible but one could see that his eyes were bloodshot and his hair was sweaty and clumped to his forehead. In addition to this, his lips and hands were dry and cracked.

An outside observer would guess that both men were engaging in a suspicious activity before they bumped into each other. They both stared at each other with eyes open wide, waiting to be accused by the other. Either one uttered a word. Both also had one foot behind him with his body slightly turned as if ready to dash off. This did not happen though. The two stood in this position for quite some time, watching the other closely. It was clear that if one moved the other would do so almost instantly after; if one spoke, the other would commence to blurt an explanation for what he was doing.

This awkwardness lasted a while until the cloaked man finally spoke. He stepped toward Rhyon saying, "Hey, I think I know you….".

Rhyon's breathing got heavier as the man inched closer to him. Surely the man was going to report him soon.

"I apologize for this," Rhyon muttered as his hand slid over to his scabbard. In the wink of an eye, Rhyon's sword was out. He used the handle to strike the man in his head. Just as soon as he hit him, the man gasped and fell to the ground. Rhyon bent down to take a look at his victim. "He is unconscious but he will awaken…. Eventually."

After double checking his surroundings once more, Rhyon removed the robe from the man and placed it on himself. First, he sniffed the robe. He shrugged his shoulders. It must have smelt okay for him. Next, he checked to see what the man was storing inside the robe. He could see that from the outside the robe looked ordinary but inside, it was much more complex. The robe contained a system of pockets of all shapes and sizes. In fact, there were pockets on top of pockets! And inside these pockets were money, potions, and few other strange items. Despite all of these objects being contained within the robe, it clearly did not make much noise when walking otherwise Rhyon would have been sure to hear the man before.

Rhyon took one final look at the man he had recently knocked out. He shook his head at the damage that he had done. "I fear I am transforming into a true fugitive," he said. "I thank you for the warm robe and the bundle of potions you have provided me for my journey. I will leave you with this."

Rhyon removed the gil he found within the many pockets of the robe and placed it in the back pockets of the pants the man was wearing. He was even generous enough to give the man half of the gil he was carrying at the moment. Was this the wisest thing that could have been done? Probably not. Depending on how long the man was knocked out, it was probable that a person with ill-intentions would take this money. But that was not what Rhyon was thinking about at the moment. He adjusted the stolen robe and hoped he could find something low-profile for Jewel to wear without being caught.


End file.
